Rising from the Ashes
by Sharkdiver1980
Summary: "The gravity of the situation finally hit Carol – They had survived, and most likely a few others did too, but they were all separated now, with no way to contact each other, and no plan in place on where to meet back up. " - takes place after 213 "beside the dying Fire", my take on if the group never reconnected after they left the farm. Will be CARYL, rated M for future ch's
1. Chapter 1 - Separated

**Rising from the Ashes**

***Disclaimer* I do not own the Walking Dead, or any of its Characters…I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement! This takes place from the end of episode 213, Beside the dying fire... This is my take on what could've happened if the group never found each other after they fled the farm. Rated M for later chapters. This will become a Caryl story, but I am trying to keep them as cannon as possible, so it's not going to happen easily, or right away…bear with me! It'll be good, I promise!**

**Chapter 1 - Separated**

Paralyzing fear; that's what you feel in those moments that you become certain you are about to die. That was what Carol was experiencing at that moment. As she looked around her frantically for anything that could give her a speck of hope of making it out of this alive, She saw the flames of the barn rising higher, and heard the screams of her friends all around her as they all attempted to escape the herd. The walkers seemed to be closing in, only a matter of a few feet from her now. With the last bit of energy and fight she had left in her, she half limped, half staggered to the dirt road leading away from the farm house. Her heart was hammering in her chest, adrenaline driving her forward, with the single thought, _"Keep moving, don't look back"_ like a mantra in her brain. It was at that moment she heard and then saw Daryl's Triumph swing into view, sliding to a stop just a few feet in front of her, signaling her to climb on. She snaked her arms around his waist, pressing herself tightly against his back as he sped off away from the farm.

She wasn't sure how far they traveled; she was lost in thought replaying the horror that had befallen them all that previous night, when she noticed the sun was rising. Daryl hadn't said a word to her, too focused on the road ahead. After a few minutes, she felt the bike start to slow as he pulled off to the side of the road. She loosened her grip on him and let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Did you see anyone else?" he asked her as his eyes scanned the trees around them for any signs of walkers.

"No, It was Dark…Andrea, She…" Carol's words were cut off as a sob threatened to break through. She remembered how she and Andrea had been running from the walkers, and Andrea had gotten separated from her. Carol felt a stab of guilt that she didn't do more to help her, but she had been so frightened, and she had no weapons. Her only option was to run.

Daryl nodded, he understood what she was trying to say, without having to make her say it.

"Thought I saw a few of the cars get out, not sure who was in 'em though. Only two ways they coulda gone; back to the highway, or on to Fort Benning."

The gravity of the situation finally hit Carol – They had survived, and most likely a few others did too, but they were all separated now, with no way to contact each other, and no plan in place on where to meet back up.

She took a deep breath, and looked over at Daryl, squinting from the sun's bright morning rays, and said, "I think it makes sense to head back to the highway, where we lost…Sophia." She had trouble saying her name, even now, and she saw Daryl wince at her words. "I think they might head back there, knowing that was the last place we were all together before the farm."

Daryl nodded, agreeing with her logic. They didn't have a plan, and this was as good a plan as any. He wouldn't think about the possibility yet, that they might not be there. He swung his leg over the Triumph and signaled Carol to climb back on behind him. Once again, her arms encircled his waist and her body was pressing close to his back as he started heading in the direction of the highway.

Carol let her mind drift again to how things had gone so terribly wrong that night. Where had the herd come from? They had been living at the farm in relative comfort for several weeks with barely any walkers making their way that far out. She had hoped that they could settle there, and be relatively sheltered from the madness and desolation the world had turned into. On the farm, Life still seemed to go on; there was food, shelter from the cold, and they had each other. The farm also had become Sophia's final resting place. Even though she was gone, Carol still sometimes woke up in the night thinking her little girl was still somewhere out in the woods, trying to find her way back to her, and then she'd remember that terrible day when Sophia had stepped out of the barn, a walker. Part of her died with Sophia that day, and then the all-consuming grief would roll in, leaving her feeling as if she had to face the realization that she was gone for good all over again.

She knew everyone had believed Sophia to be dead long before Shane opened the barn, except for Daryl. He had been the only one to really believe that they would find her alive. He gave Carol Hope, even when there was none, and for that she would be eternally grateful. Daryl had done more for her little girl that her own father had in her whole life. She thought about how intensely determined he was about looking for Sophia, and she couldn't help but wonder why. She knew that most adults felt naturally protective of children, but Daryl was different. He was not like Rick, who had a child of his own and understood what it was like for a parent to lose a child; he was hard, and closed off most of the time to everyone around him. She thought about the day she had been sitting in the RV trying to keep herself busy so that she wouldn't lose her mind with worry for her daughter ,when Daryl came in and quietly set a single Cherokee Rose on the counter for her. She had been so taken aback by his gesture, as he had barely spoken to her at all the entire time their group had been together, until that day when he told her the story of the Cherokee Rose. That was the day, he gave her hope. From that point on, they shared a silent understanding that regardless of coming from two different worlds, they were in this together now.

Once again, Carol shook herself from her reverie and felt the bike slowing down. As she peered around Daryl, she could see the abandoned cars up ahead signaling that they had reached the area of the highway where Sophia disappeared.

Daryl scanned the area carefully with his eyes for any sign of walkers as they slowly moved the triumph around the cars. Since there seemed to be no sign of any walkers, he shut off the bike and Carol stepped off stretching her legs and back. Both of them noticed the obvious lack of life, but neither wanted to say it aloud.

"They're not here." Carol finally said, a twinge of worry in her voice.

"They may've gone straight for Fort Benning." Daryl said as if the thought of the group leaving them behind was of no concern to him.

He could see the worry lines on her forehead as she looked down and fiddled nervously with the hem of her sweater. Daryl sensed her unease, and knew that the prospect of being separated from the group they've come to think of as family did little to give her relief after having survived the attack at the farm.

"We'll find 'em, it'll be okay" Daryl said in that same tone he had used when he told her the story of the Cherokee Rose. Carol's eyes slipped shut for a moment at the sound of his voice, and for the second time, Daryl gave her hope.


	2. Chapter 2 - Making a Plan

***I don't own the Walking Dead...Just having fun!***

Chapter 2 – Making a plan

Carol decided to make herself useful and do another search through the abandoned cars to see if there was any food or supplies left she could grab for her and Daryl. They'd all left the farm so abruptly; no one had any time to grab food, water, medicine… anything. She knew it would take a few days to reach Fort Benning, and they would need food and water at the very least to survive the trip. She didn't even want to think what they would do come sundown, since they wouldn't be able to travel at night.

Daryl watched her walk toward a car off to the side of the road and he called after her

"Hey, don't go outta my line a sight, and here – take this jus in case" he walked over to her, and placed a small black .45 in her hand.

"Daryl, I don't know how to use this." She told him making a face and holding the gun as far from her as possible. She hated guns, and hadn't wanted to participate in Shane's impromptu shooting class back at the farm.

"Ya jus point an shoot. Not that hard." Daryl said, his voice sounding a little irritated. He was trying to help her, and she wasn't making it easy on him.

Carol seemed to get the hint that he wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, so she took the gun and tucked it into the waistband of her pants. "I'm going to see if I can at least find us some food and water before we get back on the road, there might not be another chance."

Daryl grunted in acknowledgement, and continued to scan the area for walkers while she moved off to search.

The first car she searched contained a backpack, which she grabbed without a thought, seeing as the Triumph only had two small pouches on either side to carry anything they found. She also knew the nights were getting colder, and they would need to stay warm; jackets would become a necessity.

As she moved from car to car, she managed to find four 20oz bottles of water, a few cans of tuna, a box of granola bars, a can of nuts, and bottles of amoxicillin, Ibuprofen and Vicodin. She managed to also grab a jacket for herself, and a small throw blanket.

Daryl watched her as she moved through the cars quickly looking for anything that could be of use. He was a little worried when they got to the highway and hadn't found the rest of the group, although he was keeping calm and did his best to hide his concerns from her. He knew Carol needed to be strong right now, and the only way that would happen was if he seemed confident that everything would be fine, and that they would find everyone at Fort Benning. His mind kept plaguing him with the thought, _'What if they aren't there?'_ He was determined not to think about that, he would cross that bridge when they came to it. He knew the best thing to do, was take it one day at a time, and just try to survive and get there intact and un-bitten. As he watched Carol he couldn't help but think of his conviction that he would find Sophia, and how broken Carol had been when the walker that had once been her daughter took those first few steps out of the barn. He felt like he'd failed her that day. He wasn't quite sure what made him want to find her so badly, why it was so important to him to be the one to return her little girl to her, but he had failed, and it had affected him deeply. He had seen her piece of shit husband back at the camp, and it was plainly obvious to everyone that he was beating the tar out of her. Daryl felt both anger and empathy towards her for that; anger for not being strong enough to stand up for herself and empathy because he understood all too well why she didn't. Things were different now; her husband was dead, along with her daughter, and she was just as alone as he had always been. He made a promise to himself the moment she climbed on the back of his Triumph that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe. Part of him felt like he owed it to her, after Sophia. He hoped that she would rise to the occasion. He had a feeling she would.

Carol zipped up her newly acquired jacket, and pulled on the backpack filled with the supplies she found. As she walked towards Daryl she asked him for his knife.

"What you want that for?" he asked regarding her suspiciously, and then eyeing the small throw blanket she carried.

"Just give me your knife, I'll give it back, I promise." She said knowing he was probably paranoid about her not giving it back to him.

He unsheathed his buck knife out of its holster and flipped it in his hand quickly, handing it to her handle first. She took the proffered knife and proceeded to spread the blanket out on the ground, then fold it in half, and then in half again. She took the inner corner where it was folded, and used his buck knife to cut the tip of the corner off. He watched her curiously, while keeping his ears trained for any signs of approaching walkers.

"We Don't have time for arts n crafts now, we're losin' light" he said to her gruffly, not comprehending what she could possibly be doing with the blanket.

She didn't acknowledge his comment, instead stood back up, handed him his knife, and shook out the blanket which now had a hole neatly in the center of the fabric.

"Take off your crossbow." She commanded

He looked at her like she was crazy, and made no move to take the crossbow from his back.

She sighed at his unwillingness to cooperate, "Daryl, relax, it's just a poncho. It'll keep your warm." She held the poncho towards him like a peace offering.

He seemed to finally understand, and swung the crossbow deftly over his head and then pulled the poncho on. He made a face at her at first, like he thought he looked stupid, but he actually kind of liked it. Of course he would never admit that to her.

"We ready?" he said, wanting to get on the road for as much daylight as they had left; they'd need to find some place they could hunker down for the night. He was hoping he wouldn't have to teach her how to sleep in a tree.


	3. Chapter 3 - What Now?

**A/N: I don't own the Walking Dead…Just having fun! Thank you all for the reviews!**

Chapter 3 – "What Now?"

Rick looked ahead seemingly in a daze as he drove. His thoughts drifted to Lori, wondering if she made it off the farm, or if she was now one of those _things_. He heard Carl crying softly in the back seat, and Hershel was trying to soothe him.

"She might be alive, we have to go back!" Carl cried begging his father to turn around.

"Carl, you know I can't do that. That farm is over run with walkers, we'd never make it back out. I miss her too, but she'd want us to go on." Rick said softly, trying to make his son understand that this is the way life had to be now. In order to survive, you had to keep moving forward and accept that those left behind would probably be gone for good.

Hershel remained silent, but looked over at Rick with a mixture of contempt and envy; envy for being able to let loved ones go so easily, and contempt for his coldness about it.

Rick kept his face carefully controlled, to keep his inner turmoil inside. He had to be strong for Carl, and he couldn't fall apart now, not when Carl and Hershel were depending on him. His and Lori's marriage had started to crumble back at the farm when she'd confessed she'd had an affair with Shane. At that moment, he wanted to kill Shane. It was a cruel twist of fate that Shane was the one plotting to kill him, and yet after killing Shane in self defense, he would become the monster. He never even had a chance to tell Lori, and he was secretly a little relieved that he'd never have to, he hated himself for that.

"We're going to head towards Fort Benning. That was the last plan we had back at the farm, and I'm hoping anyone who made it out will also head there." Rick said in hopes that Carl would see the sense in his choice, and accept it.

Hershel nodded in acceptance and agreed that would be the best hope of meeting back up with anyone else who may have survived the attack.

As the suburban sped along the highway, they saw the occasional walker stumbling around in the fields they passed by. Carl stared out the window, silent tears streaming down his face, thinking about his mother. He had noticed the distance in his parents over the weeks following his recovery from being shot. He knew that the world he had known for what seemed like a few brief years was gone, and here was this new brutal world, where every moment was life or death. His family hadn't gone to church before the world had ended, but he offered up a small prayer to whomever might be listening to keep his mother safe in hopes that he might see her again.

"We'll need to find some supplies, food at least" Hershel offered to Rick, "If we're going to make it to Fort Benning, we'll also need to see if we can siphon some more gas, we'll never make it on a half-tank."

Rick looked down at the gas gauge and nodded in agreement, "We'll stop at the next car we see. We'll see if it's got any gas we can take, maybe anything else. We can sleep in the car tonight, should be safest in case we need to move fast."

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

"Glenn, what are we going to do? How will we find anyone? We're alone!" Maggie cried showing the beginnings of a panic attack

Glenn stopped the car and took Maggie's face in his hands, drawing her face up to look him in the eyes. "Maggie, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We have to keep going. I think we should head towards Fort Benning. That was the last place Rick had said we should try to get to when your dad was still thinking about asking us to leave."

Maggie had started to calm listening to his words, processing what he was saying. When she heard mention of her father, her tears came harder thinking that her father had been left behind, and so had her sister. She had lost her entire family in one night, everyone she cared about, except for Glenn.

Glenn realized his error as soon as he saw the tears streaming down her face. There was nothing he could say to make her pain go away, and it gutted him to see her so distraught. He did the only thing he could, and pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried. He knew they had a lot of ground to cover, and daylight was limited, but he'd be damned if he took her opportunity to mourn her family away from her, especially since this new hell they were living in took everything else.

After a while, her sobs ebbed away, and her tears seemed to dry up. He looked down at her, and saw that she had fallen asleep. He carefully settled her back in the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on her carefully so as not to wake her. He started the car, and pulled back on the road, heading in the direction of Fort Benning.

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

Lori stared out the window biting her thumbnail nervously as she worried about Carl, Rick, and even Shane. She had been so caught up in trying to get through to Hershel, and getting anyone she could out of that farmhouse, that she hadn't had even a second to be sure that Carl, Shane and Rick had made it out alive. She hadn't even managed to get Hershel out. She was hurrying Beth and Patricia out of the house towards the truck T-Dog had brought around when Patricia was attacked. She knew in that moment, there was nothing they could do for her, and would have to leave her behind. After a bit of a struggle, she managed to pull Beth out of Patricia's terrified grasp, and shove her into the truck. T-Dog didn't waste any time, and peeled out of the driveway, putting as much distance between them and the farm as he could.

She had known that some of the others had made it to vehicles, but she couldn't be certain that any of them actually made it out.

Beth sat between her and T-Dog, curled into Lori's shoulder crying. The poor girl was probably traumatized about seeing how Patricia went down right in front of her eyes.

"I think we should go back to the highway, to the spot where we lost Sophia. That was the last place we were all together before the Farm. The others might have gone back there too." Lori said to T-Dog in hopes that he would see the logic in her suggestion

"No way. That was back in the other direction, and we've got to keep moving. I think we should head towards Fort Benning; that was the last plan we had in place when Hershel was going to boot us off his farm." T-Dog glanced apologetically at Beth before raising his eyes to Lori, to see if she would agree. She was Rick's wife after all, and if anyone might be able to predict what he would do, it would be her.

Lori nodded, thinking about what her husband, or Shane would do in this situation, and T-Dog was right, Fort Benning would probably be where they would go. She only hoped that when they got there, that Carl would be with them. She thought briefly of Carol, losing Sophia the way she had, and a sick feeling twisted in her gut. She felt her shoulders shaking as the tears came streaming down her face. Carl had to be safe, there was no other option.


	4. Chapter 4 - Shelter

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I am so happy that you all are enjoying this so far! **

**Chapter 4 - Shelter**

Carol watched miles of trees flow together in a seemingly endless blur as the triumph flew down the highway. They'd been traveling at a good pace, Daryl's eyes carefully scanning for any place that might look safe to settle in for the night. The sun was starting to dip low in the sky, and they both knew their chances of running into walkers would increase as night approached. Up ahead, Daryl saw a large barn across the field. He began to slow and tapped Carol's leg to get her attention, and pointed towards it so she could see what he was thinking. He then reached his hand to her hands resting on his chest, and gripped them to let her know to hang on tight. He felt her arms constrict around him, and took that as his cue to veer off the road and across the wide field towards the large barn.

Carol shut her eyes and held onto Daryl for dear life as the triumph flew across the field, making for a bouncy ride. More than once, they'd hit a bump that made her bottom fly clear off the seat and come crashing back down. If she hadn't been holding him as tightly as she was, she probably would have been bounced right off.

As they approached the large barn, Daryl scanned the field for walkers. Once he was satisfied there weren't any in the immediate area, he turned off the engine and stood with the bike between his legs, holding it steady so Carol could climb off.

"Damn woman, you almost broke a rib", Daryl said as he rubbed his midsection where she'd been holding onto him.

"Well what did you expect? You were flying across the field like a bat out of hell! You would've lost me a mile back if I hadn't been holding on so tight!" Carol chided him. She knew he wasn't really upset about her squeezing him, and he could see the corner of his mouth quirk up in the ghost of a smile at her comment.

Daryl grabbed his crossbow, and motioned her to follow along behind him as he walked the perimeter of the barn quietly to be sure the area was clear of walkers. Since they had fled the farm, they'd only seen two, which Daryl had deftly taken down with his crossbow in a matter of seconds. When they ended up back at the front of the barn, he motioned to her that he was going to check the inside and for her to stay back.

Carol held her breath as he slowly opened the door, her mind replaying the scene when Sophia stepped out of Hershel's barn with lifeless eyes, thirsty for blood. She shook away the mental image and slowly pulled out the handgun Daryl had given her earlier. Even if she had no idea how to shoot a gun, she would do her best to protect herself, and Daryl if need be.

He looked back at her to be sure she was out of the way before he opened the door, and nodded in approval seeing her aim the gun at the door. He only hoped she knew to turn the safety off, though with her non-existent gun knowledge, probably not. Now wasn't the time to tell her though, he could work on that with her later. At least she was trying. He opened the door slowly with his crossbow, ready to shoot anything that might be hovering by the door. Luckily, nothing was. As he opened the door wider, he saw a walker with a large bite mark taken out of it's throat in the corner turn towards them and start moving in their direction. Daryl was quicker, and put it down before it had even taken two steps. Daryl motioned her to come with him, and stay close behind him as he moved through the large barn, making sure there were no more walkers inside. As they neared the back of the barn, they found another walker, which must've been the one to rip the throat out of the other one. Daryl put that one down with ease as well with a bolt through the eye. Satisfied that there were no more walkers inside, he slung his crossbow back over his shoulder.

"I'll haul these geeks outside. Stay put till I get back," He said gruffly, his tone leaving no room for argument. Carol nodded and took the opportunity to look around the barn. If they were going to stay the night in there, they would need to do the best they could to secure it. As she scanned the walls, she saw various tools hanging, and some heavy chains.

As Daryl made his way back into the barn, rolling the Triumph in with him, she moved behind him to close the barn door. There was still light coming in from the hayloft door above, which had been propped open.

"We can probably use some of this stuff to secure the doors, I saw some chains over there" Carol said as she nodded her head in the direction of the chains.

"That could work" Daryl said as he moved towards where the indicated the chains were to start seeing what he could do with them. He would have to chain both the front and back doors to the barn to be sure no geeks could get in while they slept; not that he figured he would get much sleep, someone had to keep watch.

Carol watched him intently while he wrapped the chains around the door handles, and clipping them together on the inside with some caribiners he found in the side pocket of the Triumph. He glanced back at Carol, and noticed her staring at him, and became a little irritated.

"What?!" He barked, not meaning to sound as harsh as he did.

Carol flinched at his tone, and averted her eyes realizing he'd caught her staring at him, "Sorry, I…"

He cut her off, before she could finish her reply, "How about you make yourself useful and find us something ta eat." He felt a pang of guilt the minute he said it, knowing that he probably sounded just like her dead husband. He didn't mean to be so harsh with her, but it had been a long nerve-wracking day, and they hadn't had anything to eat or drink, and it was wearing on him. She probably felt just as poorly, but he didn't want to think about that, it only made him feel worse. He saw he shrink back from his comments, and look down at her feet while she pulled the backpack she'd been wearing off of her back.

She pulled a bottle of water out, and two cans of tuna. They'd have to conserve the little water they had, and ration their food until they either came upon more cars or a town where they could look for more supplies. She handed him the water first, and took a drink of it herself after he'd had some. She handed him the cans of tuna so that he could open them with his buck knife. Once he's opened the cans, he handed them back to her to hold while he slipped off his poncho and laid it on the floor of the barn for them to sit on.

She didn't want to risk upsetting him again, so she sat with her legs crossed, looking down at her food, while she ate in silence. He'd saved her life at the farm the previous night, and she wanted to do as much as she could to not be a burden on him. She was lost in her thoughts, and barely heard his whispered apology.

"Sorry." He said quietly, as he looked over at her sheepishly.

At the sound of his voice, Carol looked up at him, realizing he'd apologized to her. She nodded her acceptance to him and flashed him a weary smile, "it's okay, I'm sure I'm more of a burden on you than an help."

Daryl felt a stab of guilt at hearing her talk about herself this way, which he knew was caused by his words to her.

"No yer not, stop it" Daryl said to her, wanting to let her know that he really meant it. She had been a big help gathering all the supplies for them. He made up his mind while he looked at her, sitting there, looking so helpless, that he as going to teach her how to defend herself.


	5. Chapter 5 - Learning to Survive

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind reviews! Here's a fun CARYL chapter! **

**Chapter 5 – Learning to Survive**

"Stand up", Daryl told her as he stood licking the remnants of tuna off of his fingers.

Carol looked up at him in confusion, but got to her feet as he'd asked.

He strode over to a stack of hay bales and shifted them so that they were directly across from them at the far end of the barn.

She watched him while he made his way back towards her, reaching down quickly to grab his crossbow from his poncho laid out on the ground. When he reached her, he moved directly behind her, and pulled her arm forward resting the weight of the crossbow into her arms.

"You wanna hold it the same kinda way you would hold a rifle", Daryl said to her, pausing when he realized she'd probably never touched a rifle in her life. He could tell he was right when Carol didn't change her grip.

"Rest the butt of the crossbow against your shoulder, and keep your elbow tucked in to help take the weight off of your forearm. " Daryl positioned her elbow for her, and ran his fingers up her forearm to help her position her fingers correctly on the crossbow.

She felt herself shiver as his fingers brushed across her skin, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"You cold?" He asked her, thinking to himself that it was actually pretty comfortable in the barn with all the hay keeping it insulated.

Carol shook her head and nibbled her bottom lip nervously. He very rarely stood this close to her, and practically never touched her. It wasn't fear that caused her to become so tense around him, she knew she had nothing to fear from Daryl Dixon. He may have a short temper, but he was no Ed Pelletier. She knew he would never lay a hand on her.

She watched him as his rough calloused hand slid over her fingers to move them just into the right position on his crossbow when another thought came unbidden into her mind; '_Just what else could those calloused hands do?_'

'_Where had that thought come from?'_ she mentally shook herself. She had to admit, for all of Daryl's rough exterior, there was something attractive about him, in a very primal sort of way. His body was sculpted from all the years of manual labor he'd probably done in his life

"Carol! You payin' attention? I said line up yer target", he said exasperatedly as if he'd been talking to brick wall.

"Sorry" she said quickly, as she raised the crossbow to line up her shot.

She was painfully aware how close he stood behind her, and could feel his breath tickling the hair on the back of her neck as he leaned in close to her to tell her the next step. He was making it difficult for her to focus.

His mouth was about two inches from her ear, his body pressed up against her back, with his left hand resting on her hip to help keep her in position.

"Now, take a deep breath, hold 'er steady, and squeeze the trigger." He said very softly, as if he was trying to calm a wild animal.

Carol inhaled, taking in his scent as she did so. He smelled of sweat, dirt, and the woods and it was a heady mix that was _all_ Daryl Dixon. She kept the hay bale in her sights, and gently squeezed the trigger. As she exhaled she saw the arrow she'd shot sticking out of the hay bale, almost dead center.

She turned to look at Daryl, smiling for the first time in probably 20 years, and had to stifle a giggle at the look of utter shock on his face that she managed to not only hit the target, but essentially a bull's eye to boot.

"Was that good?" she asked him innocently, with a coy grin

"Good? Fuck yeah that was good! Can't get any better 'n that!" He told her giving her a genuine smile. He was impressed at how good her aim was for someone who'd never had any kind of practice with shooting before. Some people just had the talent he supposed.

"I had a good teacher", She said to him, wanting to let him know that he shared her victory.

"Ain't that hard" he mumbled, shrugging off her compliment. He pulled the arrow out of the hay bale and strode back towards her. He took the cross bow from her, and loaded another arrow.

"Now let's see you do it again.", He said as he handed the crossbow back to her and stepped back, wanting to see how she did without his guidance.

Carol looked down at the crossbow in her arms, and replayed all that he had told her in her mind. She squared her stance, keeping her feet wide enough apart to hold her balance. Then she raised the crossbow up and nestled the butt into her shoulder as she grasped it firmly in her fingers and tucked her elbow in to rest against her waist. As she tilted her head to line up her target, she took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger.

Daryl stood a few feet behind her and watched her as she positioned herself to take the shot. He was impressed with how quickly she learned, following his instruction flawlessly. His eyes took in her form as she focused on her task, starting at the graceful curve of her neck, and travelling down her back. He couldn't stop his eyes from travelling further south, admiring the shape of her behind.

Carol couldn't believe she'd hit almost the exact spot she'd hit with the first arrow, and had to admit she was pretty proud of herself. Maybe now she would feel like less of a burden if she had some confidence in her ability to protect herself. As she turned around seeking his approval, she could see a definite look of approval on his face, though the source of his approval was most certainly not the target on the other end of the barn.

Carol cleared her throat, to being his attention back up to her face, and she saw his cheeks turn scarlet at the idea that he's been caught blatantly staring at her ass. She decided the best course of action would be to pretend she hadn't noticed, and not say a word about it.

"Twice in a row. I think I got a knack for this!" she said in an attempt to deflect his embarrassment as he moved off to extract the arrow.

"Hittin' a movin' target is a whole nother can a beans, don't get too full of yourself just yet.", He said a little more harshly than he intended. He really was proud of how quickly she picked up shooting the crossbow, but he wanted to remind her that the things they would be shooting at wouldn't stand still for her.

Carol nodded in understanding, still not letting his words take away from her feeling of accomplishment. She'd never imagined that she'd be standing in a barn shooting his crossbow, and that she'd be good at it. She knew she had a lot more practice ahead of her, and that moving targets would certainly be a challenge, but she was eager to learn. How she'd changed from just a few short weeks ago when the thought of using a weapon was repulsive to her. Now, in this world, she realized, it was a necessity.

"We should probably head up into the loft to sleep tonight, in case any walkers manage to break into the barn – from what I gather, they haven't figured out how to climb.", She said seriously, as she noticed the light from the upper door was starting to fade.

Daryl nodded and gathered their things from the ground following her over to the narrow wooden ladder that led up to the loft.

"Ladies First" Daryl said sarcastically while making a mock polite gesture.

She looked up at the ladder, and started to grasp the rungs and step up when she realized that would put Daryl behind her, giving him a perfect view of her ass while she climbed up the ladder above him. She hesitated for a moment, and had to stifle a laugh as she remembered him staring at her a few moments ago. She continued to climb, hearing him start to grab on to the rungs beneath her, when she couldn't help make a joke.

"Enjoying the view?" She said cheekily grinning to herself as she pulled herself up into the hayloft.

"Pfft." Daryl huffed as he reached the top of the ladder, pulling himself up into the loft.

She walked over to the open door of the hayloft, looking out at the night sky, and the empty field below, surprisingly free of walkers…at least for now.

"Full moon tonight" she said coyly her lips turning up into a playful grin, "Could be romantic. Wanna screw around?" she couldn't help but tease him, still on her high from hitting the bull's eye with the crossbow. Somehow that brief moment of catching him looking at her bum was all it took to break some of the tension that had built up between them since back at the farm. It had felt good to laugh, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had any reason to.

Daryl flushed shades of red she didn't even know existed, but he was grinning despite himself. He knew he'd earned her teasing after his shameless gawking of her ass, but to be honest, as embarrassed as he was about that, he felt relieved to see her smiling and feeling happy enough to make a joke; especially knowing it was him that made her feel that way. He still didn't want to think too deeply about why her happiness meant as much to him as it did, but that was a thought best left alone.

"Maybe some other time", he grinned shyly as he moved to stand beside her with his arms crossed over his chest, looking up at the stars.

'_There. Let her stew on that for a while_.' He thought to himself, realizing that it might actually be a genuine offer.


	6. Chapter 6 - Moving Forward

**A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I am humbled and thrilled that you all are enjoying this fic so much.**

Chapter 6 – Moving forward

Rick pulled over as he approached the RV that was parked on the side of the road. He felt a pang of sadness as the RV brought back memories of Dale.

"Let's be quick about this, it's getting close to dusk, and I want to find somewhere less exposed to settle in for the night. I'll see if it's got any gas we can take, you check for supplies in the RV", Rick said to Hershel.

"What about me, Dad? Can I come?" Carl asked his father.

Rick clenched his jaw for a moment, ready to tell Carl to stay in the car, but he knew with he and Hershel both occupied, it wouldn't hurt to have another set of eyes keeping a look out.

"Okay, but you stay by me. I want you to keep watch while Hershel and I are getting what we need." Rick told him

Carl nodded in agreement, happy to be able to help in any way he could. It made him feel a little more grown up.

Rick got out and scanned the area for any walkers that might be staggering around nearby, and thankfully didn't see any. He moved around the back of the suburban and grabbed the gas can and the hose for siphoning gas. He was glad for Glenn's suggestion to keep one set in each vehicle, should they ever find themselves in a tight spot. He moved over to the side of the RV while Hershel climbed inside the RV slowly, ready to kill any walkers that may still be inside. The coast seemed to be clear, so Hershel busied himself searching through cabinets for anything that may be of use to them. He found a gallon jug of water and some plastic cups in one of the compartments, which he set on the table in his pile of stuff he was planning to take. After looking through a few more drawers, he found a couple cans of beans, and an package of beef jerky. It wasn't much, but it would serve. Thinking of Carl, he also stepped towards the back of the RV to grab a blanket off the bed. The nights were getting colder, and he wanted to make sure the kid stayed warm.

As Hershel moved back down towards the door of the RV, the bathroom door swung open unexpectedly startling him and knocking him off balance, as a walker reached out to grab him, merely inches from his shoulder. Suddenly, the walker made a gurgling sound as it went limp, falling forward against Hershel. Carl stood behind it, breathing heavy, seemingly in shock, staring straight ahead. Hershel looked at Carl, and noticed the knife sticking out of the back of the corpse's skull. Hershel shrugged it off of him, and stepped around it to grasp Carl by the shoulders, making him look at him.

"Carl, You alright?" Hershel said as he gently shook the boy to get him to snap out of it.

"I've never stabbed anyone before. I didn't even think, I just stabbed it. It was going to kill you." Carl whispered, trying to convince himself that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"You had no choice Carl, you did the right thing. I'm sorry it was you that had to do it, but you saved my life." Hershel said to him, watching the last of Carl's youthful innocence slip away in front of his eyes.

"What happened? Carl! You alright?" Rick said worriedly as he climbed into the RV. He hadn't noticed the commotion in the RV, or Carl move, as he was so focused on getting any bit of gas out that he could, until he turned to where Carl had last been and he was gone. Rick panicked for a moment, before running into the RV to see if he was with Hershel. He took in the scene, and saw the Hershel crouched in front of Carl, his hands on his shoulders, and the walker dead at his feet.

Carl looked at his father and said, "I'm okay, dad." Not wanting to talk about it any further.

Rick nodded in understanding and signaled for Carl to come help him carry the supplies that Hershel had gathered to the suburban. Rick had already put the gas in, and he was eager to get back on the road to find a safe place they could pull off for the night.

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

Maggie woke up and was surprised to see that it was a few hours later from when she had cried herself to sleep. Glenn looked over at her and smiled as he reached down to entwine his fingers with hers.

"Where are we?" Maggie asked, not recognizing their surroundings.

"I think we're about 30 miles outside of Peachtree City. Looks like there is another small town a few miles up ahead; we should see if we can stock up on supplies while we can." Glenn told her.

Maggie nodded, "When will we reach Fort Benning?" She asked him, saying a silent prayer that the others would be there when the arrived.

"Probably sometime later in the day tomorrow, provided we can find some gas in town, and maybe somewhere relatively secure to spend the night." He told her, looking at the road ahead. He was always cautious about heading into cities or towns, usually that's where the walkers were the most heavily concentrated. It's like walking into the proverbial lion's den; though truth be told, Glenn preferred the lion.

As they neared the town center, Glenn slowed the car to see how many walkers might be milling about, and what kind of stores they could find. This town was so far out away from Atlanta, it didn't look like it had been too picked over; they might just be in luck, if they could get in and out with what they needed.

"There's a gas station up ahead, looks like a mom and pop sort of place, maybe there are keys to the gas pumps inside? There's also a convenience store, we might be able to find some food and water." Maggie told him.

Glenn thought that would be their best chance, the supermarket was too risky, and they would need gas to make it the rest of the way to Fort Benning. He pulled into the parking lot, and turned off the engine, turning to Maggie, "I'll keep watch outside and keep the walkers off us. Take your gun, and go inside and see if you can get the gas pump turned on. While I'm putting gas in the car, go see what you can grab in the store. Hurry back, and be safe. I love you, Maggie." Glenn pulled her close, and placed a soft kiss on her lips, letting her know how much she meant to him.

"I love you too, Glenn. Be careful." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

Glenn turned and scanned the parking lot, and nodded to her that the coast was clear. He slipped out of the car, and moved between the pump and the car, placing the nozzle into the gas tank, ready to pump when he saw any sign that the pump was up and running. Maggie pulled her gun out, keeping it pointing in front of her, as she moved silently to the front of the store, just to the left of the door. She listened for any movement inside. When she didn't hear anything, Glenn saw her slip through the door, and he waited for tell tale click that she'd opened the pump. He waited with baited breath, hoping that she would be safe, when he heard the familiar click. He let out his breath in a rush, and immediately started to fill up the car with gas.

He looked over across the street, and could see a walker staging towards him. He wished in that moment, he's had a crossbow like Daryl, so he could take it down quietly, without drawing the attention of other walkers that might be near by. He set the nozzle to auto-fill, and slowly moved around the car towards it. The only choice he had, was to take it down quickly with his knife. Glenn moved towards it quickly, and noted the grotesque twist in its neck, with its head lolling at an impossible angle, as if its neck had been broken. Its face was swollen, and its tongue was hanging out, leaving a trail of blood down the front of it. Glenn wasted no time in slamming it to the ground, and plunging his knife through its eye socket. He yanked the knife back out with squelching sound, wiping it off on his jeans as he jogged back to the gas pump to make sure it had stopped filling. As he hung the nozzle back on the pump, he still didn't see any sign of Maggie. He hadn't heard any signs of a struggle, but he did walk further away to take care of the walker.

_What if there had been walkers inside the store? What if they had gotten Maggie?_ These thoughts were twisting knots in his stomach, and he was just about to go in after her when she ran out of the store with a bag full of stuff. She unceremoniously threw the bag in the car, and jumped in, looking at Glenn, "Drive! Now!" Just as Glenn looked up to see about 12 walkers come stumbling out from behind the store towards them. He started the car, and slammed on the gas, peeling out of the parking lot. Maggie was leaning back in the seat, her eyes closed breathing heavily as if she had just run a marathon.

"Are you okay? Were you bit?" Glenn shrieked, his fears welling up at the thought that he could lose her.

"No, not bit, they just caught me off guard. I was in the store looking for food and water, and well, anything useful, when I happened to glance out the back window and saw them coming. My heart started pounding, and I knew we had to get out of there." She said as she rubbed her hand over her face, trying to erase the lingering adrenaline from what she'd just been through.

"So what were you able to get inside?" Glenn asked nodding towards the backseat where she had dumped the bag she'd ran out with.

"Few bottles of water, some beef jerky, nuts, a few cans of soup and some canned fruit; that was about all I could find that hadn't gone off in the store." Maggie said, hoping that would suffice.

"That's perfect, Maggie. We make a great team you know." He said as he grinned at her grabbing her hand again. "We should look for somewhere we can spend the night, so keep your eyes out for anything that looks like it could be secure."

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

T-Dog had been driving for hours. Beth had finally quieted down and fallen asleep between he and Lori. The truck had thankfully had an unopened pack of beef jerky in the glove box, and a full tank of gas when they left the farm, so they agreed to go as far as they could in the direction of Fort Benning without stopping. T-Dog had been watching the gas gauge for the last half hour, watching the gas level run down. They'd only passed a few cars on the road this far out. They had quickly stopped to see if they could get any gas out of them, but found both the cars were empty. T-Dog knew at this point they definitely did not have enough gas to get to Fort Benning, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Lori, as it would only cause her to worry, and it's not as if she could do anything to change their predicament. He only prayed they would not run out on the side of the road, far from any potential food and water, without any sort of protection.

Thankfully, there was a sign just up ahead for Cooper Creek Park. He knew the state park wasn't far from Fort Benning, and with any luck, they'd find a way to continue on tomorrow. He thought he saw on the map back at the farm that there was a reservoir near there too, which meant they wouldn't have to worry about water. Food was another matter, as the beef jerky would only last so long between the three of them.

"I'm gonna head for that Park, we should be able to find water there, and maybe some shelter. This far out away form the city, less likely to see any walkers."

"What about Fort Benning? I thought the plan was to go straight there?" Lori asked him with a look of confusion on her face

"Well, it was, but we just don't have enough gas to make it there right now, and it's going to be dark soon. We need to find shelter as soon as possible." He told her seriously.

Beth stirred from her sleep to hear the last part of the conversation, and began to worry that they would run out of gas and be stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere, with no way to reach the group.

"We're going to run out of gas? What will we do then?" she asked a hint of panic in her voice.

"We're not going to run out here, we've got enough to get to the park up ahead, we can get some water there, and find some shelter. There's always ranger stations in these state forests. Hell, there may be some more cars there too that we can either check for gas, or just hotwire if we have to." T-Dog re-assured Beth. The last thing he wanted was to have a pregnant woman and a frightened young girl falling apart on him. To her credit through, Lori was as tough as nails, pregnant or not.

"T-Dog's right, the park is our best chance." Lori agreed and gave Beth a squeeze to let her know they'd be allright.


	7. Chapter 7 - In the Still of the Night

A/N: I still don't own the walking dead…just a fan!

**Chapter 7 – In the still of the night**

Carol sighed as she rolled over for what seemed like the umpteenth time, repositioning her jacket under head as a makeshift pillow.

"Can't Sleep?" Daryl said softly from a few feet away. He was leaning against the wall, just inside the open hayloft door, keeping watch.

Carol squinted looking towards where she heard his voice coming from, and could see his silhouette leaning up against the wall. "Wish I could", she said wistfully.

"Nightmares?" He asked, assuming she had been dreaming of Sophia again.

"Actually, no…the hay keeps poking me, and it's driving me crazy!" She said in a frustrated tone trying not to laugh as she grabbed a fistful and tossed it towards him.

Daryl chuckled at her, relieved that she wasn't going to fall apart on him, at least not tonight.

"Anything happening down there?" she asked, climbing to her feet and making her way over to where he was standing. If she wasn't going to be able to sleep, she may as well keep him company.

"Not too much, few geeks stumbling around the field, but nothing to worry about yet." He said as he turned and watched her step towards him.

"Thank God for small miracles." She said as she leaned in close to him, looking over his shoulder. She felt him tense at her closeness, and wondered at the reaction she caused in him. He hadn't exactly told her his life story, but she could put the pieces together after seeing the scars that covered his back, telling his story more effectively than his words ever could.

"You should get some sleep" he said, his voice having taken on a husky tone.

She looked at him, searching his face, willing him to look at her. She wanted him to know that no matter what he'd endured in his life, he had nothing to fear form her.

"The hay…" she started to say when he looked up at her and pulled off his poncho smoothly and placed it over her head, very gently, as if she was made of porcelain.

She looked down at the poncho and smiled. It smelled like him, that musky masculine scent the she smelled on him earlier when he was teaching her how to use his crossbow.

"Won't you be cold?" she asked him, not wanting to leave him freezing to death while she was all bundled up.

"Nah, I'll be all right." He said softly.

"Thank you." She said sincerely, meeting his eyes briefly so that he knew how much she appreciated his kindness.

"We got a long day tomorrow, get some rest." He told her, before turning his gaze back over to the field below.

She turned away from him, acknowledging his silent dismissal, and headed back towards her little pile of hay and curled back up on it, wrapping his poncho around her for warmth and comfort. She inhaled his scent, and fervently wished at that moment, that it was his arms wrapped tightly around her instead of his poncho. She looked down at her hands, and saw her gold wedding band gleaming in the moonlight, feeling disgusted at herself as thoughts of Ed rolled into her mind. She was not the same woman who had surrendered to his beatings for all those years, she was a survivor now. Wearing his ring suddenly felt wrong, and like it was weighing her down. Without a second thought, she pulled the ring from her finger let it fall to the ground below. Just in that simple action, she felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders, and knew that she was finally free. She wouldn't waste another second of her life thinking about Ed Pelletier. With that last thought, a smile graced her face as she let sleep take her.

**TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD**

The powder-blue truck turned off the highway and into the state forest, Lori, T-Dog and Beth all felt a palpable sense of relief as they could see a Ranger station up ahead, just next to the gate that led deep into the heart of the forest. T-Dog pulled the truck up in front of the door, and motioned for Lori and Beth to stay put while he went in to make sure the ranger station was secure. As he slid out of the truck, closing the door as quietly as he could, he moved quickly to the door, and turned the knob.

Locked.

T-Dog had never been so happy to have been a juvenile delinquent in his younger years as he was right then, since that meant he knew a few tricks on how to pick a lock. After a few minutes of fumbling with one of his now useless credit cards, the door popped open. He wasn't sure why he had even kept his wallet in his back pocket all this time, just a habit he supposed – maybe it gave him hope that someday, the world would return to normal, and he'd need them again. In any case, He was glad he held on to them, as credit cards proved to be very useful in breaking & entering.

He listened at the partially open doorway for sounds of walkers, but there didn't seem to be any noise coming from inside. As he moved slowly inside, his handgun ready to fire at anything that moved, he fished around in his pocket for the only other item he always kept on him; his engraved zippo lighter.

T-Dog moved through the house-sized station, making sure all areas were clear. It looked like no one had been in this ranger station at all since the dead began to rise, which was a rare occurrence these days. Once T Dog was satisfied that there were no walkers hiding anywhere, he made his way back to gather Lori and Beth. Lori grabbed an emergency bag out of the back of the truck before she and Beth made it safely into the house. The emergency bag was another of Glenn's brilliant ideas; like the gas cans, he'd put together a bag with a few items that would be really helpful in case of an emergency, and placed on in each vehicle. She really hoped she would get to see him again to thank him.

Once all three were safely inside the door, T Dog closed the door and locked it once more, this time, locking the deadbolt as well – he'd been lucky earlier that whoever was there last, only locked the doorknob.

Lori set the emergency bag on the table, while T Dog held the lighter between them so she could see what was inside. She pulled out the flashlight first, and set that on the table. They'd have to be careful that the light coming from inside the station didn't attract walkers. Inside the bag there was also a few bottles of water, a few cans of beans, some ammo, a buck knife, and a few candles. It wasn't much, but it would have to do, at least until morning.

Lori and Beth set about immediately looking for blankets, or towels to cover the windows to help hide the light from the candles. There was only one small cot in the back bedroom, presumably for the ranger who had to work the overnight shift. T Dog and Beth both agreed Lori should take it, since she was pregnant. In the small kitchenette, they found more canned food such as corn, green beans, and canned Beef stew. Beth went to work on opening the cans and placing some of the stew and beans in to the plastic bowls she found in the cupboard, and brought them out to Lori and T Dog. They all ate in silence as they thought about what the next day would bring. Would they find any cars they could siphon some gas from? Would they make it to Fort Benning? And more importantly, would anyone else be there when they got there? Lori supposed there was no use in worrying herself sick over these questions, as they would hopefully be answered soon enough.


End file.
